The Redheads

New Update

2009-10-17T16:15:00.002-05:00

Well it's probably pretty obvious to those of you who still follow my blog that I'm not updating like I once was. In fact, I think it's been over 6 months since my last post. For those of you that want to still follow me, I update my facebook quite regularly and I also signed up for Twitter recently. I don't know if I really fully understand Twitter yet, I only signed up because it has a better app on my cell phone than facebook does. Anyway, you can follow me on Twitter at LisaJoyD. I'm going to leave this blog open because I still read a lot of the blogs on my sidebar and who knows, maybe I'll get motivated to start updating again!

Tired!

2009-04-17T23:11:00.006-05:00

Since all is quiet in my house right now, I thought I'd take the time before I head up to bed, to write a quick post. Kelby is in Topeka all weekend for a tennis tournament. He's a pretty incredible player, so I'm anxious to hear how his matches go tomorrow. I'm slightly jealous that his hotel is right across the street from ...

I'm hoping he might bring me back an original chicken sandwhich and some sweet tea! Yeah, it doesn't take much to make me happy!

I am extremely tired tonight! I've been working out A LOT the past few weeks and on top of that I've really been cutting back on calories. I've already lost 7 pounds, so I know I'm doing something right! I've been going to a spin class at the gym 2-3 times a week and then running the other 2 days. Let me tell you, if you've never been to a spin class, they are tough work but also a lot of fun! I met a friend for the 6am class this morning, which is why I'm practically asleep writing this.

I'm not even sure if anyone even reads this blog anymore, except my brother (Hi Bob!), but there's a little update into my oh so exciting life! I'll try and post some pictures of my sweet girls soon! They are growing too fast!!!!

Missions Trip to Costa Rica

2009-03-31T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been back from Costa for almost 4 months now and I still haven't posted about my trip. I guess I've been a little side tracked with life! I had an amazing experience, one that I will never forget. I still can't get those precious children's faces out of my mind. I would have loved to bring a few home with me. Here are some pictures from my trip ...

There were 4 homes on the Hogar de Vida property that the children lived in, this is one of the homes

I loved the hammocks and rocking chairs

I probably ate at least 5 mandarine oranges a day, straight from the tree, while I was there. They were SO good!

My first day meeting the kids
My first Costa Rican meal. All of the meals that were prepared for us were really good!
Our walk into town

Sadie w/one of the boys

Me and Anya

Raschel

The kids loved looking at the picture of my "tres hijas".

On one of our last days there we drove a few hours to Jaco and enjoyed a day at the beach!

Here is a picture of the beautiful sunset

Sadie and Susie

Me and the twins, Anya and Tanya

Chillin' after our morning devotional
Me and sweet Genesis
Me and Lindsay

Me and Susie

Several of the locals and a few women from our team were baptized. It was such a moving experience!

Update

2008-11-26T09:17:00.009-06:00

Well, I'm back again. Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Life has just been really busy. I'm getting ready to leave for my missions trip to Costa Rica the day after Thanksgiving. I can't believe it's finally here! I'm so excited but I also feel a little nervous too. I'm NOT going to have any communication with my family for 10 days. I've been away from them before, but we've always been in constant communication. Even when my hubby was thousands of miles away in Pakistan for 6 months, we still talked or emailed almost everyday. So, that aspect is going to be hard. Then again, I'm probably going to be so busy with the children, maybe I won't have time to miss my family. I'll be sure to give you an update, complete with lots of pictures, when I get back. I return on December 7. Please pray for our team while we are gone. Pray for good health, safety, turbulent free flights :), and most of all for God to use us in the lives of these children.

Trinity Church Costa Rica Mission Team - November 28 - December 7

As you've probably already noticed, I've added some new pictures of the girls to my header and sidebar. We had some professional family pictures taken a few weeks ago. I think they turned out pretty well. Here are a few more ...

This was most definitely not spontaneous!

Abby's model pose :)

It was hard to get Olivia to give a natural smile

Kevin (Kelby's brother), Heather, Adalee and baby Joah
Daddy and his girls
Kisses for mommy
The Deese Family
I know that was a lot more than a few. I kinda got carried away. I used a few of these pictures for our Chrismtas card this year. It turned out so well! Now I just have to finish writing my annual Christmas letter, finish packing, do laundry, freeze some meals for the family, clean house, and work some hours for my part-time job - all before I leave on Friday! Okay, I'm exhausted already! Adios mi amigos!

I'm Alive!

2008-10-08T12:02:00.004-05:00

I know I haven't posted in awhile! I'm still alive, I've just been really busy. My part-time job has been very demanding the past few weeks. I've been updating Pastor Ray's website and learning a tun about HTML code. My hubby is very impressed that I know more about HTML than him! The girls are getting older which means they are getting more homework, so my afternoons are spent helping them with that. I've also been busy preparing my letters to raise support for my missions trip in Nov/Dec. I had a moment of panic last week when I realized that my passport expired, so I had to rush and get my renewal paperwork in the mail! We can't forget my sweet Olivia. She's loving preschool but missing the girls when they are at school so I'm hearing almost everyday, "Mommy, play with me!".

Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. Here are a few random pics from the past few weeks. I can't seem to post without any pictures! :)

Olivia with her 2nd cousin Serah, visiting from Turkey. Dark hair, dark brown eyes. Red hair, light blue eyes. Quite a contrast but both beautiful! Serah. Look at those BIG beautiful brown eyes!

All the girls

Olivia having lunch w/her cousin Adalee. She stayed w/us while her mommy was in labor!

We headed to the zoo the next morning. The girls had a blast!

Adalee loved the Butterfly Pavillion!

Liv patiently trying to catch a butterfly

Sweet cousins

I discovered that Adalee was petrified of gorillas, both real and fake. She screamed when I tried to get a pic of her on this with Olivia

Adalee wasn't too fond of the goats either!

You sure can get a workout at our zoo ... lots of hills!

We then headed over to the hospital so Adalee could meet her new baby brother. I think she was more interested in the Cheerios though!

The new family of 4!

Welcome to the world Joah James! The Deese name will live on ... I gave it 3 tries :)

Yep! Another redhead. I guess it's just in the genes!

He is so cute! I just love babies!

Olivia holding her new cousin Joah

The following pics were taken when we went to deliver a meal to Kevin and Heather. We were a little early and they weren't home so while we waited the girls and I had fun taking pictures!

I just love this girl!

Olivia and Dodger

Julia relaxing on the hammock

Jules holding Joah

Abby with her new baby BOY cousin! She keeps telling me I need to bring her home a baby brother when I go to Costa Rica!

Well, I think that was more than just a few pictures. I guess that's what happens when you don't blog for almost a month. Olivia is playing upstairs so I think I'm going take advantage of the peace and quiet and go watch the debate from last night. Why didn't I watch last night? Well there were more important things on to watch!

I know, I know. Shame on me! :)

Missions Trip

2008-09-18T17:38:00.004-05:00

I want to share with you a ministry opportunity that the Lord has presented to me. In a couple of months I will be going to Costa Rica with a team of 15 women from my church. We will be working at a children's home. It is a Bible based, Christian, faith ministry which provides temporary homes for 'at-risk' children, ages birth to 7 years old. The heart beat of the home is to meet each child's physical needs, to share the eternal gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and to provide a stable environment in which the healing process Jesus Christ may begin in the hearts of these broken children.

Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area? Would you be willing to to pray regularly for me (at least once a week) during my preparation and training, and daily during the actual outreach? If I can count on you as a prayer partner, please post a comment or email me. I'm excited about the oppotunity and experience that lies ahead and I covet your prayers most of all. I will keep you updated in the coming months.

Escape of the puppies

2008-09-16T17:51:00.012-05:00

Today hasn't been a very good day for me. It started out pretty good. I was up at 6:30 ... showered, dressed, with my make-up and hair done. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me because I normally take the girls to school in my pajamas! I know, I know. I'm not sure what I would do if I got in an accident. At least they're cute pajamas! My women's bible study started this morning so I had to have all three girls dressed, fed and out the door by 8:00. I made it to bible study, with a few minutes to spare, and had a great time of fellowship and digging into God's Word. I'm glad His Word was fresh in my heart because I was going to need lots of grace later that morning!

You may or may not remember that we got a new puppy a couple months ago. My mother-in-law also got one at the same time. The dogs are actually sisters. Well, she had errands to run so she asked if it would be okay if she dropped off her puppy at my house so the two could play together. I keep them gated up in my laundry room because they cannot be trusted yet! For good reason.
Well when I got home, I walked in through the garage door and this is what I found ...
The puppies had knocked over the gate. I later found out that when my mother-in-law came over to drop off Greta, she had let the dogs outside and when she put them back in the laundry room she didn't put up the gate securely! (GRACE, GRACE, GRACE!) I knew I was about to behold a disaster! There were accidents all throughout the house, chewed up flip-flops, paper, and toys. But the worst of all was there were scratch marks all over the bottom of my beautiful coffee table!

I know the culprits were Maggie and Greta. My sweet Mitzi probably took a nap while they reeked havoc throughout my house!

But it's hard to stay mad when you have a little face looking at you like this. I didn't get a picture of her co-conspirator. I had already banished her back to her home. I'm very thankful today that one of the messages in my bible study was not to become too attached to things that are temporal. I'm guessing that includes my scratched up coffee table.

Since we're on the subject of my dogs, I'm pretty sure this time around we didn't get a Miniature Schnauzer. They are supposed to weigh around 10-15 lbs. full grown. Well, my little pup was weighed the other day and she is already 13lbs at 4 months old... Mitzi's full grown weight.

I'm thinking this little Mini Schnauz of ours is turning out to be not quite so miniature!!! Enough talk of dogs, I have 3 girls that need some of my attention tonight.

Prayers for Nie Nie

2008-09-09T14:26:00.009-05:00

So, I've added a new past-time to my life ... blog surfing. I know, I know, like I'm not busy enough already! You can hop from one blog to the next and read about the most interesting and uninteresting things. It's really quite addictive. It's quite easy to get caught up in their lives, these people I don't even know. Well, the other night as I was blog surfing, I ran across this blog. Stephenie (or Nie Nie as she calls herself) blogs about her life as a wife and mother. Her love for her family spills out over every entry.

The Nielsen Family

Well a couple weeks ago, Stephenie and her husband Christian (or Mr. Nielsen as she so romantically refers to him) were in a tragic plane crash. You can read more about it here. She was burned over 80% of her body and Christian was burned over 30%. They are both in critical condition. They have been on my mind constantly since reading their story and her blog. The other night I was tossing and turning all night so I just began to pray for them. They are currently recovering in a Phoenix burn unit. Her sister has begun a blog to keep all of her readers informed of their progress. Keep them in your prayers too!

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-04T18:44:00.017-05:00

My sweet little Olivia had her very first day of preschool today! She has been so excited, talking about it nonstop! "Mommy is it Tuesday or Fursday yet?" We drive by her school everytime we take her big sisters to and from school and she ALWAYS yells "There's my school." Well the day FINALLY arrived. I started out the morning by making blueberry waffles.

But she wanted chocolate cereal instead ... crazy girl

At least it was organic ... so I didn't feel like too bad of a mom

Jules was so excited for Olivia. Abby was too but she was still busy getting ready for school

All ready to go

This was Julia's backback that she had in Kindergarten. It's still in pretty good condition. She thinks it's cool to have her big sister's backpack. I'll take it while I can!

I look happy here but I'm really crying insideReady to go in!
Such a big girl

About this time she got really quiet! But my brave girl didn't shed a tear!
Playing with puzzles
I just couldn't make myself walk away. When I did, my tears started to flow
So ... what did I do with my first 2 1/2 hours of alone time. Vacuum? Clean my house? Workout? No. I got my haircut. Nothing's better than fresh highlights and cutting away a few inches.
Well except maybe for this. Maybe next Tuesday I'll head to The Cheesecake Factory for my favorite White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.
Nah ... I really need to be doing this.
Well I have 3 little girls that have been playing outside all evening. It's been so beautiful here the past few days. Fall is in the air. I better go round them up and wash away the grime before John McCain's speech tonight at the RNC. I still get goosebumps when I think of Sarah Palin's speech last night. It was electrifying, passionate, and inspiring. Until next time my friends ...

Campout Dinner and Movie Night

2008-09-01T10:46:00.012-05:00

I know I've been missing in action the past 2 weeks. Between Abby and Julia starting school, Julia and Liv getting sick, pre-school meetings, work meetings, Kelby working LONG hours, I just haven't had the time or energy to blog.

Yesterday evening we went over my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house for a Campout/Movie Night. The weather was hot but once the sun went down it turned into a really nice evening.

Abby with Kevin and Heather's dog Dodger

Julia and Dodger Julia loves "mommying" her little cousin Adalee Adalee
Uncle Kelby with his niece
Awesome homemade salsa that Kevin made
Abby playing on Unlce Kev's iPhone ... as usual Adalee and Livvy having fun outside

Hobo dinner Kevin and Heather made. They cooked it over the firepit outside. Steak, chicken, potatoes, carrots, green peppers, red peppers, onions and green beans. Mmmmmm, so good! Well except for maybe the green beans. I'm not a fan of green beans
Oliva relaxing in the hammock
Julia eating a yummy smore Getting ready to watch the movie on the projecter and screen Kev and Kelby setup
We all laughed and had a great time watching "Happy Feet"
Well maybe except for Abby, she fell asleep at the end

Baked Potatoes, Sleeping Girl and New Chairs

2008-08-18T20:06:00.012-05:00

I hadn't planned on blogging again quite so soon but there were a few events of the day that I thought warranted a post! I'm sure many of you already know what a picky eater Olivia is. We often call her "Mini Kristin" because she takes after my sister in that way! Now to be clear, I'm not asking the girl to eat brussel sprouts, broccoli or peas. She won't even eat comfort foods like mashed potatoes and gravy. She loves her fruit, yogurt, cheese, bread, macaroni cheese, chicken nuggets and crackers. You get the picture. Well tonight I made "Loaded Baked Potatoes" for dinner. I told myself before offering it to her that I was going to stand firm and not give in to her tears. I served up her potato and gave her a little pep talk and what do you know, she ate it!!! She said, "Mmmm, mommy this is so good!". Maybe this is a step in the right direction!

Then while I was cleaning up the dishes, Abby and Julia went on an errand with Kelby, so I settled Liv on the couch to watch her favorite show on Noggin ... I normally hear her singing along but as I was doing the dishes I noticed how quiet it was so I went to check on her and this is how I found her ... She was sound asleep! I guess eating that potato took a lot out of her!!!

When Kelby returned with the girls he had the new chairs we bought for our front porch which had been on back order. Don't they look inviting?

I look forward to many evenings sitting out on the porch reading a good book with a tall glass of ice tea ...
That is if I can get these girls of mine off of them!

A Break From Regular Programming ...

2008-08-17T14:34:00.017-05:00

I got this email from a friend the other day, and since I don't have anything new to post about "The Redheads", I thought I'd post this "getting to know you" questionnaire. Who knows, you might learn something about me you never knew!

1. Gone on a blind date: Yes, my very first date was a blind date

2. Skipped school: I think maybe once in high school my friend and I skipped out to go to the mall

3. Watched someone die: No

4. Been to Canada: No

5. Been to Mexico: No ... but I'm going on a Missions Trip to Costa Rica in a few months ... more on that to come!!

6. Been to Florida: Yes, just last month!

7. Been on a plane: Yes, but I prefer not to. I'm not a fan of flying! Turbulance scares me to death!

8. Ever had your heart broken: Yes ... it also hurts to be the one to do the breaking though!

9. Been on the opposite side of the country: Yes, I lived on the opposite side of the country - Germany - for 3 years!

10. Gone to Washington, DC: No, but I would love to!

11. Swam in the ocean: If you count going waist deep swimming in the ocean, then yes. Honestly, I'm too afraid of sharks and of being out of my depth to swim in the ocean.

12. Cried yourself to sleep: Of course, I'm a girl

13. Recently colored with crayons: Yes, I love to color with my girls. I think it's theraputic.

14. Sang Karaoke: Not on your life!!!

15. Paid for a meal with coins only: At the drive thru sometimes.

16. Made prank phone calls: Yes, in Junior High ... before caller ID. Kids can't do that anymore, can they?

17. Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose: Yes

18. Written a letter to Santa Claus: Yes. I would leave a letter for Santa by the cookies and milk I left out on Christmas Eve and he always wrote back. It took me years to realize it was my dad's handwriting!

19. Been kissed under the mistletoe: Yes

20. Watched the sunrise with someone you care about: You know I don't think I've ever sat and watched the sunrise. Too early for me!

21. Blown bubbles: Of course, I have kids!

22. Gone ice-skating: Once and I wasn't very good

23. Been skinny dipping outdoors: No! Do you think I'd really admit to this though, my mom reads this blog! :) Just kidding, I haven't! Honestly!

24. Gone to the movies: Yes, I love going to the movies!

25. Any nickname? Lis, Leah

26. Mother's name: Jean

27. Favorite drink? Lemonade

28. Any Tattoos? No

29. Body piercings? Just ears, one whole in each. I had them double pierced a long time ago but I let them close up. I guess I go for the more classic look.

30. How much do you love your job? My full-time job - I love it! Best job in the world to be a mom. My part-time job as an administrative assistant to one of the pastor's at our church - It's great to work for such a wonderful man of God, to learn something in the process and to be able to do 95% of it at home! The Lord has truly blessed me.

31. Favorite vacation? Venice, Italy! I would love to go to Greece, Ireland and Hawaii one day!

32. Ever been to Africa? No

33. Ever been on TV? A commercial once, only because they recorded hometown greetings while we were in Germany to air on TV back home. I never got to see it though.

34. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, once when I was about 20. I totalled my little Mazda 323. A car pulled out of a side street and hit the passenger side. I went to the Chiropractor for months afterwards.

35. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4-door Honda Odyssey. You should see me driving Kelby's 2-door with all 3 girls. It's quite a sight!

36. Favorite salad dressing? Raspberry Vinagrette

37. Favorite pie ? I prefer cake but I do love Dutch Apple

38. Favorite number? I don't have a favorite number

39. Favorite movie? Too many ... Sound of Music, Pride & Prejudice, Meet the Parents, Dan in Real Life, The Bourne Trilogy, The Italian Job

40. Favorite holiday? Christmas

41. Favorite dessert? White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!!!

42. Favorite food? Chinese, Mexican, Italian. I'm easy to please. Pretty much anything but Sushi!

43. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

44. Favorite brand of body wash? Bath and Body Works

45. Favorite smell? Newborn babies

46. Do you remember your first kiss? I was 17 and it was on my very first date. Of course I remember, you never can forget your first kiss.

47. What do you do to relax? Read a book, listen to worship music

48. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Being the mom to 3 teenage girls. Lord, help me!

49. How many siblings do you have? 1 brother who is 30 and 1 sister who is 25

50. Furthest place you will send this message? It's on my blog, so who knows?

Those were some pretty random questions! So, did you learn anything new about me? Comment away! Well, the house is quiet so I think I'll go take a Sunday afternoon nap. I'm feeling pretty exhausted from staying up late too many nights watching the Olympics! I also ran 15 miles this week, but not all at once! A nap sounds pretty good right now! Until next time ...

Big Girl Liv

2008-08-05T16:56:00.018-05:00

Congratulations are in order to Olivia. She officially stopped sucking her thumb 3 weeks ago! Who would have thought that a trip to the dentist woud give her the confidence and desire to kick the very strong habit?!? She has been sucking her thumb, always with her blanket (soft, saw ... it had so many names), since a newborn. Her blanket was always the trigger for her thumb sucking, so a couple months ago I started to put it away during the day and just give it to her at bedtime. But then after our Disney trip, old habits started to form again and she ended up with it all the time. That is, until 3 weeks ago. She went in for her first dentist visit and the dentist noticed right away that she was a thumb sucker. He had a little pep talk with her and said that your teeth are your friends and you don't want to do anything to hurt them. He also told her she has such pretty sparkly teeth, which she talked about for days. On our way home she said, "Mommy, I'm not going to tuck anymore". I said, "That's great Liv" but I'm thinking to myself (because she's said this before) "yeah right, we'll see about that when bedtime comes". Well bedtime came, and while it takes a lot longer to get her to sleep, she has been without her blanket and thumb for 3 weeks. My little girl is growing up! Thought you might enjoy some pics of Liv over the years with her blanket and her thumb.

Nothing's better than hiking the mountains of Colorado as long as you have your thumb

Wow, I'd forgotten her "soft" was ever that pink and ... clean!

Chillin' with Grandpa

Relaxing with my friend Morgan

Liv fell asleep like this in Julia's room (faithful blog readers: you may remember this from one of my previous posts!)

RIP Soft - We'll miss you! This post is making me feel a little sad so I'm going to go watch the US Swim teams Freestyle Relay Race that I taped on my DVR last night. That'll lift my spirits. What an exciting event! I was on the edge of my couch watching those incredible swimmers beat the French. After all the French swimmers said about smashing the Americans, it was kind of fun to watch them eat their humble pie at the Medal Ceremony. I can't wait to see Michael Phelps swim the 200m Freestyle tonight! The guy is amazing!

Go Michael!

Counting on God

2008-08-01T14:40:00.005-05:00

I took this video of the girls yesterday and thought I'd share it with you all. It's their new favorite song and they have been singing it nonstop! It blesses me to hear them sing "It's the miracle of Christ in me. It's the mystery that sets me free. I'm nothing like I used to be. Open up your eyes you'll see". I hope it blesses you too.

The video stops abruptly, as you'll see, to avoid an all out war between my girls! Remember to pause my playlist before you play the video.

Friends

2008-07-30T11:29:00.017-05:00

Don't you just hate it when you lose contact with good friends? There are a few people that I would love to reconnect with. I just recently found one of them! Valerie and I met at church when we were in high school. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and we kept in contact for awhile afterwards but between me moving to Germany and then Colorado and her moving out of state, we sorta drifted apart. I recently found her email address, so we've been keeping in touch through emails. Valerie and her husband and two girls are living in Maryland now. She is visiting her family for a few weeks so we were able to get our girls together and have some girl talk! I think it's funny that when women get together the conversation eventually drifts to their labor stories (or nightmare). Just last night I met a new friend and wouldn't you know within 5 minutes our conversation drifted to pitocin and epidurals. Girls are so funny. Here are a few pics of our morning together.

Evelyn and Olivia (Evelyn is 6 months older than Liv). They had a lot of fun together!

All the girls, even the puppy

Me and Valerie - she hasn't changed at all! She looks just like she did in high school. I wish I could say the same!

Valerie and her 3 month old baby Julia. Don't you just love the name! She has great taste

The girls playing hide and go seek

Evelyn

Big Julia holding little Julia

The girls all hanging out in the laundry room, which has now become the puppy training roomAbby holding a crying Julia. It must have been nap time
Now that we've found each other again, I hope we stay in touch. Maybe a visit to the east coast is in our future! Tonight we're celebrating my sister-in-law Heather's 30th birthday, so I better go get my house in order. I may enlist the help of 3 certain little redheads.

For Your Entertainment Pleasure ...

2008-07-25T22:20:00.001-05:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

New Addition

2008-07-24T16:07:00.018-05:00

Don't fall of your chair or anything, I'm not pregnant ... we just got a new puppy last night! She is a black Miniature Schnauzer, she is 10 weeks old and we named her Maggie. It was totally spontaneous, we weren't even talking about getting another dog. We already have one white Miniature Schnauzer named Mitzi.

This is how it came to be ... my in-laws headed over to a local Miniature Schnauzer breeder yesterday evening to look at their pups (their dog Hannah had died a few months before and so they felt they were ready for another dog). They decided on a cute little Salt and Pepper Schnauzer. My father-in-law called me and said there was little black one available also. Well, after many phone conversations back and forth, one thing led to another and we ended up getting another dog. It's going to be a hard few weeks, with sleepless nights and lots of trips outside, but let me tell you that these three little girls of mine are beyond thrilled! We think she's pretty cute too. We're not too sure what Mitzi thinks yet.

Introducing Maggie

Abby was up at 7:00 am, after going to bed at 11:30, ready to see her new pup!

So sweet

Jules and her little Maggie

Liv was already asleep last night when we got Maggie so she was pretty surprised this morning when a little black dog woke her up by licking all over her face. You should have seen how big her eyes were!

Her sister (my in-laws dog) came over for a playdate. This is Gretel and Maggie

The redheads with the new pups

Puppies are so much fun

Julia being attacked by the Schnauzer pups

We still love you Mitzi

Too cute a pic of Olivia not to post

Grandma and her new pup Gretel

More life in bloom

My gorgeous sweet potato vine , that took forever to spread, but now that it has it looks amazing!

One Exhausting Bike Ride

2008-07-22T11:26:00.013-05:00

On Saturday Kelby thought it would be fun for us all to go on a bike ride. Now I love going on bike rides, but when it's 90+ degrees and very humid, it didn't quite sound like my idea of fun but I succumbed. Abby was feeling a little under the weather so she spent the afternoon with Grandma Deese (lucky girl). We still ended up having three little girls though because we brought my niece along for the ride. Here are a few pictures from our exhausting 20 mile bike ride.

Before the ride

Julia is ready to go

Olivia and Adalee were pretty squished but they didn't complain ... too much! We stopped half way and had lunch at a little mom and pop diner.

I just love this girl. She is so tough! How many 7 year olds can bike 20 miles, fall off their bike and cut up their hands and knees and even admist tears and blood hop back on their bike to finish the last 6 miles. She hardly ever complains, just goes along with whatever is handed her. She's just like her mommy :)

Kelby had quite the workout pulling over 50 lbs. of little girls

Poor little girls. It was pretty hot in the bike trailer.

We didn't hear much talking on the way home. They were exhausted!

Nothings better than a Lime Slushee from Sonic after a long bike ride

On a different note, Kelby and I went to see the movie Mamma Mia on Friday night. Now I'm a huge fan of musicals (Sound of Music, Phantom, you get the picture) but I guess I kinda, sorta neglected to tell him it was a musical (which he's not a fan of).

Within the first few minutes of the film they broke into song. He looked over at me and said "What... is... this?" Oops. Oh well, it was good for him, right? Help broaden his horizons a bit. After about the 5th song in 15 minutes though, I think he wanted to walk out and go see Dark Knight. Come to think of it, I think we were one of very few people who went and saw Mamma Mia instead of Dark Knight.

But I really enjoyed it, it's a feel-good movie and it made me want to stand up and sing a long. The scenery was gorgeous too. Makes me want to go to Greece all the more.

Well I have a house that needs some TLC and daydreaming about Greece isn't going to get it done so I better get to it.

Birthday Fun

2008-07-17T20:59:00.019-05:00

Last night was my sister's 25th birthday. Oh to be 25 again ... seems like forever ago! I think I was living in Germany at the time, probably still getting over the culture shock. I look back fondly over those years. We met some wonderful friends, friends we are still in contact with, friends we'll have for life. I don't think at the time I really appreciated how blessed we were! Look at all the places we were able to visit ... England, France, Austria, Holland, Italy, Belgium and Poland. Never made it to Greece and Ireland though ... maybe one day!

We had a fun evening over at my parent's house. You won't see any pictures of Kelby, Julia and my dad though. Kelby had to beg out of the festivities because of a tennis tournament, Julia had a sleepover at a friend's house and my dad was there, he just hates being photographed.

Aunt Kristin and Liv

Me and my Liv

Grandma and Olivia

Me and Abby

Me and Kris, pretty good picture after about 15 tries!

David and Kris

Aunt Kristin told Liv she could help her blow out HER candles! She was pretty excited!

You would have thought it was her birthday!

I think she found 25 candles was a lot tougher to blow out than 3!

I can't believe she is going to be 10 in a few short months. Someone said to me the other day that the boys are going to be calling soon. Gulp. I was the tender age of 17 before any boy began calling me. That seems like another lifetime. Oh the memories!

Well, it's getting late. I think I'm going to go cozy up with a good book. Night all.

Park Outing

2008-07-15T08:58:00.016-05:00

We decided to get the girls out of the house the other night, so we took them to Dairy Twist and then we headed over to a nearby park. We had a great time until the bugs started to eat us alive (and of course I forgot the bug spray)! At that point, after screams of protest from Olivia, we thought we should head back home. Here are a few pictures we took of our evening of chicken nuggets, ice cream, merry-go-rounds, swings and lots and lots of bugs!

Note to self: Give child chocolate milk AFTER they have eaten their meal. I really should know this by now!
Abby giving a thumbs up for yummy lemonade
I don't even know what to say here.

Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets and fries... we like to feed our kids the very best food!

We took our ice cream to the park to eat. I shoud say THEY did. I was good and didn't get any. The girls did share a few bites with me though! This would have been a great picture if she would have smiled! Parks with sand are the worst!

Daddy and his girl Trying to get all three to smile always proves to be very difficult, especially when there are bugs swarming around you!

Would have been a cute picture if Liv didn't look so funny!
Me and my sweet Julia
Update: For those of you who have been waiting on pins and needles, wondering if the snakes scared away those horrible little birds, well so far it appears that they have! I still see them flying around our backyard but they don't swoop at our heads anymore and they haven't started rebuilding their nest. I'm not sure if it will work long term, but for now it seems to have scared them off.

Swimming Pool Fun!

2008-07-10T15:04:00.015-05:00

I love having neighbors, especially neighbors with a pool! Since their boys are grown and no one uses it much, they were gracious and kind enough to offer to let us use it whenever we want and we sure have taken them up on that! We don't want to wear out our welcome, so I think this is it for the week. They have two beautiful dogs that love to swim in the pool as well, which the girls are just tickled by! Here's a few pics from our trip next door!

This is about as far as Olivia will venture in!

Liv having fun with Oak and Monet, the neighbors dogs The dogs going in for a swim

Kelby and MonetOak, the Weineramer . He's kinda standoffish at first, but he warms up after awhile. He has such pretty green eyes!
Abby jumping from the diving board ... I won't even do this, I'm such a chicken!
Julia getting ready to take the plunge
Julia says "This is the life" Abby working on her "tan" (Pale is the new tan, haven't you heard?)
"Don't hate me because of my beautiful naturally curly red hair!"
I'm not just a woman of leisure that sits by the pool all day, really I'm not! I do have laundry to do, clothes to iron, a dishwasher to unload and a pile of work to do for my part-time job. So I better get to it ... until next time!

Attack of the birds

2008-07-09T16:52:00.007-05:00

So .... the cute little birds I blogged about a while back have decided that the entire backyard is their home. The girls (and their mommy too) are afraid to go outside because when they do the birds start swooping at their heads and come within inches. Here we have this wonderful new swingset but my girls are too afraid to play outside on it! After the baby birds flew away and this territorial behavior started, Kelby knocked down their nest before we left for Florida. Well, when we returned it was rebuilt so he knocked it down again and wouldn't you know it they started rebuilding again yesterday. So I decided to do a little research to get some ideas on how to stop birds from building nests and one of the sites said to put up fake snakes to scare them away. Needless to say, the girls and I took a little trip to Target in search of snakes. Here's hoping the birds get their eviction notice and move on!!!

Who knows what our neighbors must think seeing snakes hanging from our deck!

The only way Abby would go outside is with an umbrella to protect herself from the "mean birds"

"Help a snake!"Abby said I always post pictures of them but never of myself so she took this picture of me to post on my blog Stay tuned for reports on how the bird deterrent works out. If it doesn't, we just may need to invest in a bebe gun! I'm kidding ... sorta! :) Well, I better go get my run in before the rain starts!

Florida Vacation - Day 10

2008-07-06T16:39:00.007-05:00

Well, we're back home now. No beds were made for us this morning, no fresh towels were layed out for us, no one cooked our meals and no one drove us to and from our destination. I guess we're back to reality.

We had a wonderful vacation! We enjoyed our time with Aunt Karen ... I think the girls especially had fun trying on all her high heels and their visit to the beach! We had a blast going jet skiing with my Uncle Dave and the girls loved meeting their second cousins and wished thet could have stayed over longer!

Disney World was magical! Even with the heat, the countless trips to the potty, the heat, the long lines, whining about the heat, 4pm rain showers, tired and sore feet and the sweltering heat! We had such a great time with Matt and Amanda and their kids as they joined us at the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It was fun to see Olivia and Mackenzie get to know each other. We're looking forward to a family reunion next summer, hopefully!

Here are a few pictures from our last day in Florida ...

Julia going down the waterslide at our resort

Kelby and Olivia going down the waterslide. When they got to the bottom, they both went all they way under the water. Olivia was not happy ... she screamed! Needless to say, she didn't go down again

Abby going down the waterslide

Liv enjoying an Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwhich after a swim

Beautiful Florida Palm Trees

We had to make one last stop to Kelby and Grandpa Deese's favorite restaurant "Steak n Shake" before heading home (I also got my fill of Chic-fil-A while in Florida ... I really wish they had one here!)

Kelby driving all his girls home

Three tired girls, all zonked out, on their way home from the airport (Julia's face cracks me up!)

Florida Vacation - Day 9

2008-07-02T19:26:00.014-05:00

Well, we were supposed to be on our way back home tonight but due to bad weather in Chicago our flight was delayed and instead of risking missing our connecting flight we opted to stay in Orlando one more night. We're praying for better weather tomorrow. Everyone is tired and ready to be back in their own beds and the girls are excited to see Mitzi (their dog) but it looks like we're going to have to wait one more day. So before we head out to find a place to eat I thought I'd add my pictures from our day in the Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.

African Safari Cruise that took you through the jungle while wild animals roamed around

Abby enjoying a refreshing lemonade slush
We had just finished a very scary Dinosaur ride, not knowing it was going to be quite so intense. Olivia whimpered through much of it but to be honest she was more scared of the Disney characters than this ride! Me and Liv on the nice Dinosaur ride - she doesn't look too happy here but she really wanted to go on this!

Magic Kingdom Parade

Great picture Kelby took of the castle
Character Buffet Dinner with Winnie the Pooh and friends

We thought that since Liv is more familiar with the Pooh characters than Mickey Mouse she might not be as afraid this time ... no such luck. She was so petrified the whole dinner that she didn't eat one bite of food!

Liv has always loved Piglet so we though she just might warm up to him ...
Nope ... she freaked when she saw him. He was so sweet to her, blowing her kisses, but nothing worked. Our nice meal with Winnie the Pooh and friends turned out to be a traumatic experience for poor Olivia
After Liv's traumatic dinner we went on the train ride around the Magic Kingdom
This was just the cutest thing ... there was this little tree house for kids to play in and Piglet was up at the top, popping out of the tree. Livvy was so concerned for him. She talked all day, from the very first day we were at the Magic Kindom about how we were going to get Piglet out because he was stuck. She wanted her daddy to get a rope and ladder and rescue him. She's still talking about it today!
SpectraMagic Parade ... no matter how old you are it is still so magical!
Watching the parade from a front row seat
She waved at all the Disney characters, even the Big Bad Wolf. I guess if they are a safe distance from her, their not so bad!
Taking the boat back to our resort to watch the firework show

Florida Vacation - Days 7 & 8

2008-06-30T22:37:00.009-05:00

We spent a very HOT and HUMID day yesterday at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was our hardest day so far ... we were all wiped out by the end of the day. We slept in this morning and felt a little bit refreshed for Epcot. We have one last day at the parks tomorrow before we head back for home on Wednesday. I think we just might need a vacation from our vacation!

Family Pic at Magic Kingdom

Family pic with Goliath from Jo Jo's circus (I think!)

Kelby & Julia with the Storm Troopers (I felt so sorry for them, they must have been so hot!)
Kelby with his cousin Matt

Kelby & Abby with the Stormship Trooper
Second Cousins posing for a picture after our lunch which was a wonderful break from the heat!

Me with Abby & Julia on our way to see a dinner show called the Hoopdy Doo Review. Olivia didn't eat anything and was asleep in her stroller before the show even started. It was a really fun evening!
Sweet Julia
My grown up girl
On the Finding Nemo ride at Epcot
Kelby testing out a Segway at Epcot

Mickey Mouse with Abby and Julia, minus one little redhead. We stood in line for 45 minutes to meet some of the Disney characters and Olivia wouldn't even go 10 feet near them!
Again, no Liv
She wouldn't even go near Minnie!
Taking a break from the heat for an ice cream treat
Chocolate ice cream is the best
I missed all this because I was riding the Spaceship Earth ride alone! Olivia didn't meet the height requirement so we had to tag team it but Julia wouldn't brave the ride with me!

Epcot at night

Florida Vacation - Days 5 & 6

2008-06-28T22:42:00.012-05:00

My feet are tired, I'm sunburned and absolutely exhausted but I thought I'd see if I could muster up enough energy to post a few pictures. We are having a wonderful time at Disney World. Our hotel is beautiful, although we've been at the parks from sun up till sun down so we haven't been able to enjoy it too much. Here's a few pics from our first two days in the Magic Kingdom! Tomorrow we're headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios!

Abby, Olivia and Julia after we arrived at our hotel

Taking the monorail to the Magic Kingdom

Liv cried and cried because she wanted to go on this horse and carriage ride so badly. Kelby was on Space Mountain with Abby and Julia (which they HATED!) so I lugged Olivia and the stroller all the way back to the entrance in the 90 degree heat. Once we were finished with the ride she was still upset because the horse wasn't brown! Tough luck kiddo!

Julia and Liv on the speedway racer cars ... which I drove because the girls (Abby & Julia) were traumatized after their ride on Space Mountain. Jules was too scared to drive!

Family tea cup ride ... dedicated to Grandma Norton because she loves her tea so much.

Liv wasn't sure if she liked them or not ... I guess by the picture she didn't

Taking a break after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride or as Liv likes to call it "The Pirates of the Carrot Beans"

Abby and Julia riding up front on the monorail

Riding the starships in Tomorrowland
Sweet Julia with her little sister ... on our first day at the Magic Kingdom we told the girls that if for some reason we became separated from each other to go find a Disney employee and tell them you're lost ... and wouldn't you know it, about 5 minutes later, as I was rushing to It's a Small World to get in line with Kelby, I turned around and there was Abby but no Julia! After much panic and and what seemed like forever (only a minute or so) there was Julia hand in hand with a Disney employee. She had huge tears in her eyes but we were very proud of her for listening to us!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2008-06-26T22:25:00.003-05:00

Bonus ... tonight I'm even adding a quick little video I took of the girls singing. Aunt Karen had this bear that sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". I can't tell you how many times they played it but by the end of our stay we noticed that Liv knew almost the entire song, especially the chorus. Enjoy!

Note: Remember to pause my playlist so you can hear the video!

Florida Vacation - Day 4

2008-06-26T20:07:00.008-05:00

Today was a fun filled day for us! We're visiting with my Uncle Dave now. The girls have loved meeting their other set of 2nd cousins. We all went jet skiing over at St. John's River. Abby and Julia rode with my Uncle Dave - you should have seen the smiles on their faces and heard the screams of joy! Kelby and I rode on the other jet ski with Olivia sandwiched between us. We were going about 50mph, so Liv and I were hanging on for dear life. I wish we had pictures to show but we forgot our camera! Liv was a little trooper. She didn't really like the jet ski ride so she didn't say one word the entire ride and for those of you that know Liv that is very unlike her! We stopped at Blue Springs along the way and took a dip in the COLD spring water. It was actually pretty refreshing after the heat. On our way back to the dock we even saw an alligator pop it's head out of the water. We're heading to Disney World tomorrow!

The girls meeting their 2nd cousins

No I don't have another redhead ... this is their second cousin Katie... see the red hair comes from my side of the family too!

Liv before the jet ski ride

Baily and Holly the Boxers swimming in the pool

Olivia and Daniel

The Redheads having fun on the trampoline

Abby, Katie and Julia doing a little night swimming

Olivia giving love to Holly

Playing fetch in the pool with Baily

Florida Vacation - Day 3

2008-06-25T21:40:00.016-05:00

Before we headed out to Daytona beach, the girls had fun playing dress up in Aunt Karen's closet.

Aunt Karen giving the girls a make-over

Three little ladies in high heels

A closet full of shoes ... every woman's dream

I think Abby is loving these shoes a little too much!

Julia went for the classic black heels

Liv liked the open-toed black heels

We had a wonderful time at the beach with the girls and their 2nd cousins! But again, even after generously applying sunscreen, the girls all got a little sunburned. It's really a full-time job keeping them lathered in sunscreen. They loved the ocean, except for Liv but she suprised us all by sitting in the sand making castles, which is very surprising because she hates to be dirty!

Abby and Julia collecting sea shells

Mackenzie, Olivia and Ava playing in the sand
To end our day we spent the evening at Kelby's cousin Matt's house. The girls all had fun watching Cinderella on Mackenzie's bed. Olivia and Mackenzie

Florida Vacation - Day 2

2008-06-24T19:42:00.011-05:00

Well after a bumpy flight and 1 missing stroller (which has been recovered!), we made it to Florida yesterday evening! We had a fun day relaxing by the pool. Tomorrow we are going to the beach. The girls are all really excited because it will be their first time! Here's a few pictures we've taken so far!

Kelby and girls hitchin' a ride on airport shuttle

By the way, we went for a dip in the pool at our hotel the night before our flight left and you know what our little Liv said? "Mommy, this Disney World is sure fun!" She thought the dive of a hotel pool we were at was Disney. Boy, we could have saved ourselves some serious cash! :)

Wait airplane .... don't leave me!

Julia lounging in the pool

Abby having fun in the sun with her 2nd cousin Mackenzie

The sun is a lot more intense here ... even after applying lots of suncreen ... we still got burned!

Kelby and girls playing with Shack the Boxer, who thinks he's a lapdog

Project Swingset

2008-06-22T09:33:00.009-05:00

I've always wanted to be able to look out my kitchen window and see my girls playing on their very own swingset in our backyard. Well, I got my wish! It's been a huge undertaking for Kelby because he has had to put the entire thing together himself (me and power drills don't get along too well!). I've chronicled the progression of the swingset so you can see what a task this has been!

Oh my goodness, where to begin?

Taking shape...

The swings are up!

It's done! Thank you Daddy for all your hours and hours of work!

Jules having fun on the swings!
Julia monkeying around Liv and Jules

Abby chillin' in the treehouse

Gorgeous flowers in bloom in backyard Onto other news ... after 3 1/2 long months of waiting, Kelby received a job offer!!!! Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited and relieved?!? It was a stressful few months but I think we've come out the other side stronger than before. The Lord took care of us in so many ways over the past few months, so we feel very blessed and thankful. Before Kelby starts his new job, we've decided to go on vacation to "The Happiest Place on Earth"! Yep, we're going to Disney World. The girls are so excited, although I don't think Livvy knows what she's so excited about, but she does keep saying, "Are we going to go see Mickey today? Are we, are we?" If I'm not too exhausted at the end of the day, I'll try to update while we're away, so check back soon!

Crazy Mornings!

2008-06-09T13:23:00.009-05:00

I think I've mentioned this subject before but I got to thinking it deserves its very own post. Somedays I feel like I'm torturing my little Olivia when I'm brushing her hair in the morning. There are screams and tears and more screams. The neighbors must wonder what is going on each morning! No matter how gentle I try to be it's never quite gentle enough. It must have something to do with her mass of curls because Abby and Julia never protested so much!

Pre-torture Session

Post Torture Session and no, No More Tangles doesn't help!!!

Oh and pray for strength for me today. I'm attempting to take Livvy's blanket AKA "soft" away, at least until bedtime. It's her "trigger" for sucking her thumb. Many times throughout the day I'll find her plopped on the floor somewhere in the house sucking her thumb with her "soft". There have already been tears but I am trying to stay committed to this new challenge!

Bird Watching

2008-06-06T20:02:00.008-05:00

We've been watching this Swallow nest the past few weeks which is under our deck. The nest is pretty amazing because it's built up against the wall with mud. A few days ago the seven little eggs hatched and we've had fun watching the mom and dad fly back and forth to feed their chicks. I videoed this today ... enjoy!

Note: You may want to pause my playlist so you can hear them tweeting

Sisterly Bonding

2008-06-05T18:45:00.013-05:00

Moments like these seem few and far between sometimes so I thought I'd capture this photo opportunity this evening. It was really the most precious thing. Livvy had her head on Julia's lap and Julia was telling her the story of "The Three Little Pigs". She even had props.

Props: Brick, Sticks and Straw

Little Miss Independent was busy playing with Mitzi

Sorry, not the greatest photo quality tonight. It is really windy out this evening. We're in for some more thunderstoms, second evening in a row. I hope the big bad wolf (the weather) won't come and huff and puff and blow our house down!

And She Sleeps

2008-06-03T19:35:00.008-05:00

A few moments ago I was working on some of my dictation when I realized how quiet it was upstairs...unusual since all three girls were playing together! I went upstairs and found Abby and Julia had migrated to my room to watch TV, so I went in search of Olivia. This is how I found her in Julia's bedroom ...

I guess when the girls ditched her she found her "soft" and her thumb, plopped on the floor and fell asleep. I was able to carry her to bed and get her jammies on all while she still slept. If only we could all sleep so soundly! By the way, any suggestions on how to get a 3 1/2 year old to stop sucking her thumb would be greatly appreciated!

Bike Ride for 5!

2008-05-31T17:50:00.003-05:00

We took the girls on a bike ride this morning to a trail here in town. We hadn't been riding since last summer. Abby and Julia are more confident on their bikes now, which made the ride so much more enjoyable. Liv sat in her bike trailer which was hooked to Kelby's bike. At one of our stops she said, "I'm glad we stopped, my legs hurt!" What? She'd been sitting the entire ride! Kids say the funniest things. I managed to get some great shots of them along the ride!

Abby's eyes look so blue in this picture!

Jules hugging a treeJulia's chain fell off halfway through our ride!Sweet Liv Don't think I'm a die hard or anything but I also managed to get my run in when we got back this afternoon. The bike ride wasn't any type of workout with all the starts and stops we made. I'm not sure if my run was so hard because I hadn't ran in over a week or because of the heat but it about killed me! I've been used to running when it's in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's. It was in the mid 80's today and the humidity was pretty high. I don't know how I'll continue my running this summer when the temps are in the 90's with the high humidity! I managed to run in Colorado Springs though at 6035 feet ... for some reason though that sounds more pleasant ... and more beautiful! Signing off for now, I have dinner to make!

Summer is here!

2008-05-30T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well I think it's safe to say that summer is officially here. It was a hot one today, but it's only the beginning I'm afraid. We've been housebound the past few days due to rain so my sis and I and a friend took Olivia to the zoo today to see the new Butterfly Pavillion (Abby and Julia were in Summer School). Liv was captivated by the butterflies and held her little hand out so they would land on her. I'd love to go back and spend more time there when it isn't wall to wall people. Here's a few pics ...

This is too funny not to post!
My goal for tomorrow is to get back into my running routine. I ran consistently for 7 weeks, 4 miles, 5x per week. I was feeling so great! I even kept up my routine when I was in Florida but after buying new running shoes I got some horrible blisters the first time I ran in them so I've been letting them heal before I start back up again. Tomorrow is my first day back after taking a week off. I really enjoy running but I wish I had someone to run with. It would be so much more enjoyable and safe! I was almost attacked by a dog a few weeks ago. Anyone want to volunteer???

Meeting Cousin Will

2008-05-29T19:14:00.002-05:00

Well I've decided to join the blogging band wagon. I'm not the greatest of writers but I do have three girls and they seem to always give me something interesting to write about. So here goes ...

The girls got to meet their new cousin, William Isaiah, this past weekend. We had a great time eating hotdogs and hamburgers, holding baby Will and playing games. The girls were all able to hold him for the first time. He was born 5 weeks early so he was in the NICU for several weeks.

My sister took these pictures of Olivia. We are all amazed at her naturally curly hair. It will get even curlier this summer as the humidity increases! There are many tears shed every morning as I TRY and comb through her hair, although I'm told that while I was in Florida she didn't cry once for her Aunt Kristin. She even said it tickled. Hmmmm, somethings not quite right there!!! You know, I think I remember being the same way as a little girl. I cried and cried when my mom brushed my hair but when a friend or relative did it there was never any pain.

Olivia throwing "helicopter" leaves off the deck. She made great friends with Jessie's dad and they made several trips to find more leaves! Oh what fun for a three year old!